In the heart of Beverly Hills, an illustrious gathering of stars unfolded at the famed Polo Lounge on the eve of the Oscars. Teyana Taylor, Mick Jagger, Kristen Stewart, and Wagner Moura were among the luminaries attending the 17th annual pre-Oscar dinner, co-hosted by Chanel and film producer Charles Finch. This prestigious event, set within the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel, was a prelude to the glamour of Hollywood’s biggest night.
On the red carpet, a sense of intimacy prevailed. Jessie Buckley, a leading contender for the Best Actress award, remarked on the exclusive atmosphere created by the presence of just a few photographers and reporters. Wearing a Matthieu Blazy creation adorned with dragonfly motifs, Buckley likened her experience to being part of a fairy tale, capturing the magic of the evening.
Among the attendees, Maggie Kang, co-director of the animated musical “KPop Demon Hunters,” was a notable presence. Anticipation was high for her film, which was expected to clinch the awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the Oscars. Kang shared her excitement for the performance of the film’s hit song “Golden,” which producers promised would be a celebration of the movie’s broader cultural impact.
“It’s epic. It’s a lot of drama,” Kang expressed, recounting how the rehearsal moved her to tears. She anticipated the performance to be a significant cultural moment, reflective of the movie’s influence.
As the stars mingled under the California sky, the evening set the stage for the grandeur of the Oscars, blending the allure of Hollywood with the anticipation of what was to come.
A very starry gathering
The patio was packed with Oscar nominees, winners, filmmakers and celebrities mingling and sipping drinks. Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos chatted with Sigourney Weaver and Jessica Alba, while Stellan Skarsgård found himself deep in conversation with Nick Cave. Elsewhere, Stewart posed for a photo with Taylor, and Nicole Kidman caught up with Bobby Cannavale and Rose Byrne, who also found her way back to her “Bridesmaids” co-star Maya Rudolph. Hours earlier, Byrne and Rudolph rehearsed a bit for the show at the Dolby Theatre.
On another part of the patio, Jagger made his way to “Sentimental Value” filmmaker Joachim Trier, Molly Sims and her film producer husband Scott Stuber spoke with “Love Story” star Sarah Pidgeon, who was sipping champagne, while “Marty Supreme” director Josh Safdie and his cowriter and co-editor Ronald Bronstein tried to make their way toward one another. A glass might have been a casualty of the meeting.
Chanel’s long history with the movies
Chanel has been tied to cinema for nearly a century. Samuel Goldwyn famously invited house founder Gabrielle Chanel to Hollywood in 1931 to design dresses for the likes of Gloria Swanson. Decades later, she was working with French New Wave luminaries both on screen and off, including Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Alain Resnais and Louis Malle. And the collaborations continue to this day. As a nod to the era for Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” they recreated a haute couture bustier dress from a 1956 collection.
Chanel has also helped support independent filmmaking, including Stewart’s directorial debut “The Chronology of Water,” film restorations like Wim Wenders’ “Paris, Texas,” film festivals and burgeoning talent behind the camera.
“I felt, like, mutually seen and supported by these people since I was a very young person,” Stewart said. “Functioning in like, you know, this sort of industry, business, Hollywood slash fashion world as a kiddo is a bizarro, and with them it’s always felt incredibly authentic and sort of from a storyteller’s perspective, and so it doesn’t surprise me that they want to support storytellers.”
Finch started throwing parties around the Oscars about 30 years ago, mostly for international filmmakers who didn’t have anywhere to go, he said. The partnership with Chanel has helped make it one of the hottest tickets in town.
“Being on a film set reminds you that cinema is a universal language. On the film I’m working on now, the crew includes British, American, French, and Portuguese artisans — all united by one goal: to bring a story to life,” Finch said. “That spirit is what tonight is about — and how this dinner originated: celebrating cinema, storytelling, and the storytellers who make the magic happen.”
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